Gillibrand Stops Just Short Of Calling For Lopez’s Resignation

Calls are mounting for Assemblyman/Brooklyn Democratic Chairman Vito Lopez to resign following his censure last week by Speaker Sheldon Silver after a bipartisan ethics committee determined he had sexually harassed two young female staffers.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is the latest – and most prominent – Democrat to say (through his spokesman, Josh Vlasto) that it’s time for Vito to take himself out of the game if the “serious” allegations against him are indeed true.

Skelos declined to criticize Silver’s handling of the situation, although did say he thinks it’s inappropriate for taxpayer dollars to be used to settle allegations lodged against sitting lawmakers. (My interview with Skelos at which he made these remarks will air on CapTon tonight at 8 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.)

The NYT reported that Silver had used an undisclosed amount of taxpayer cash to settle a claim made against Lopez before these two staffers’ complaints were referred to the ethics committee. (An Assembly source said the only time a complaint doesn’t go to the committee is if the complainant requests privacy).

Oddly, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who has made women’s issues a central focus in recent years, was silent immediately after the news broke about Lopez last week.

Gillibrand, as you might recall, was one of the first Democratic elected officials – and definitely the first member of the NY congressional delegation – to call for former Gov. Eliot Spitzer to resign if the allegations about his involvement in a prostitution ring proved true.

(She was in the House at the time, and her relationship with Spitzer was pretty rocky to begin with).

On Saturday, I received the following statement from Gillibrand’s spokesman (I’m delayed in posting due to convention mishegoss, sorry):

“There can be zero tolerance for sexual harassment in the workplace. I commend the bipartisan committee and Speaker Silver for investigating these serious and deeply disturbing allegations and taking action.”

Apparently, Gillibrand has revised her position, because her office sent the following statement to Reid Pillfant today:

“There can be zero tolerance for sexual harassment in the workplace. Clearly, there is no room in public service for anyone who engages in this type of unacceptable behavior.”

Gillibrand and Lopez haven’t always had the best of relationships, either. Remember: He very publicly flirted with Harold Ford when the former Tennessee congressman was mulling a possible primary challenge against Gillibrand.

And Lopez was a big Caroline Kennedy supporter, too, preferring her to then-Gov. David Paterson’s pick of Gillibrand in 2009 to fill former Sen. Hillary Clinton’s seat.